Bryce Paup Turns 55

Bryce Paup progressed from being a versatile fill-in to a big play maker during his time in Green Bay. He played the Mike behind George Koonce, the Plugger behind Johnny Holland and the Buck and Elephant outside linebacker slots and did capably in all. It was as a pass rusher, though, that the 6’5” 250-pounder began to make a reputation in the league, a reputation that won him a big contract elsewhere.

Born on February 29, 1968, in Jefferson, Iowa. Bryce grew up on a farm in nearby Scranton and graduated from high school there. Drafted out of Northern Iowa in the sixth round of the 1990 draft, Paup played on special teams as a rookie. He began to get some playing time in 1991 when he ended Randall Cunningham’s season with a sack on opening day and recorded 4.5 sacks against the Bucs two weeks later. Through hard work and diligent film study, he became a full-time starter in 1992 as the left outside linebacker in the base defense and a pass rusher in the nickel. He had 6.5 sacks that year followed by 11 in 1993 and 7.5 in 1994. He also picked off four passes and recovered four fumbles in his time in Green Bay. Teammate Sean Jones told the Milwaukee Journal, “He’s a real versatile guy. With him, you might only keep six defensive linemen instead of seven or seven linebackers instead of eight.” Another teammate, Doug Evans, added, “He’s a playmaker. He never stops coming. I really admire him as a defensive player.”

When Ron Wolf tried to sign Paup in 1995, he found the team couldn’t afford him. Signing with Buffalo, Paup teamed with Bruce Smith to produce a hellish pass rush for the Bills, and Paup was voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year on the strength of his 17.5 sacks. After two more seasons in Buffalo, Paup signed with Jacksonville for two years and finished his career as a backup in Minnesota in 2000. He then spent three years as an assistant coach at De Pere High School before serving as head coach at Green Bay’s Southwest High School for six years. In 2013, he returned to his alma mater of Northern Iowa as an assistant coach. Aside from one year at the University of Minnesota, he has been at Northern Iowa ever since. He and his wife, Denise, have six children.

(Adapted from Green Bay Gold.)

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Johnny Jolly Turns 40

Johnny Jolly is something of a cautionary tale on drug use. Born on February 21, 1983 in Houston, the 6’3” 325-pound defensive lineman attended Texas A&M where he gained some unwanted notoriety for doing a celebratory dance after making a tackle at the end of a 77-0 loss to Oklahoma. The Packers drafted Jolly in the sixth round in 2006, and he replaced veteran Corey Williams in the starting lineup midway through his second season in Green Bay. He remained a starter at defensive tackle in 2008 and then slid over to defensive end in 2009.

However, his addiction to codeine in the form of “Purple Crank” became his undoing. He was arrested for possession with intent to sell a large amount of codeine in 2008. By the time he went to trial in 2010, Jolly was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating its substance abuse policy. He was arrested and charged twice more in 2011 and ultimately sentenced to six years in prison that year.

Jolly was released on 10-year probation in 2012. He credits teammate Aaron Rodgers with lobbying the league for his reinstatement which came in 2013. Johnny returned to the Packers that year and started eight games at defensive end before a neck injury ended his career. Jolly was a powerful run stuffer who was effective in the Packers’ defense. He was also a popular figure in the locker room. He now works in real estate and lives with his family in his Houston hometown.

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Daryn Colledge Turns 41

Alaska’s contribution to Packer history is guard Daryn Colledge. Born on February 11, 1982, in Fairbanks, Colledge graduated from North Pole High School before leaving the 49^th state to attend college in Idaho at Boise State. At BSU, Colledge was an All-WAC tackle in both his junior and senior seasons. The Packers drafted him in the second round in 2006 along with guard Jason Spitz in round three and tackle Tony Moll in round five. The three rookie linemen formed a close friendship that eventually turned into an ongoing business concern called Three Fat Guys Winery out of California.

Colledge spent five years in Green Bay, appearing in all 80 regular season games and starting 76. His tenure culminated with the Packers 2010 Super Bowl win. Although he was never a Pro Bowl guard, he was a solid player and signed a lucrative deal with Arizona in 2011 and then another with Miami in 2014. In his nine seasons in the league, he missed just three games and started all but four games in which he appeared. In an interview for the Packer web site, Colledge said, “I never expected to last 15 minutes in the NFL. A kid from North Pole, Alaska. I came here and I just tried to work my ass off every day.”

After a year of retirement from football, Colledge signed up for the Idaho National Guard in 2016 and served in Afghanistan. He returned to civilian life and his wife and two daughters in 2021 and was hired as the Director of Development in the Boise State Athletic Department. In November 2022, the Packers nominated Daryn for the NFL’s annual Salute to Service Award intended to honor the military.

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John Jefferson

Born on February 3, 1956 in Dallas, Texas, John Jefferson went on to star at wide receiver for Arizona State University for four years and won All-America status as a senior in 1977. Drafted 14^th overall by the Chargers in 1978, JJ’s career began to take off four games into his rookie season when Don Coryell replaced Tommy Prothro as head coach in San Diego. Jefferson caught 56 passes for 1,001 yards and 13 TDs as a rookie. The next year, San Diego added Kellen Winslow and the Air Coryell began to take flight, with Jefferson leading the way with 61 catches for 1,090 yards and ten scores. In 1980, the Chargers became the first team to register three 1,000-yard receivers in one season. JJ led the league with 1,340 yards, while Winslow added 1,290 and Charlie Joiner 1,172. The latter two are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but Jefferson’s career had already peaked. He was the first NFL receiver to surpass 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons, but never did so again.

JJ held out in 1981 to try to force a renegotiation of his contract, but instead was traded to Green Bay for a first round draft pick, two second rounders and receiver Aundra Thompson three games into the season. Coach Bart Starr was trying to create his own high-flying offense by adding Jefferson to James Lofton and tight end Paul Coffman, and the offense did improve.

Lofton was the sixth overall selection in that same 1978 draft. The wide outs’ statistics to that point:

Jefferson             199 catches        3,431 yards         17.2 YPC               36 TDs

Lofton                   171 catches        3,012 yards         17.6 YPC               14 TDs

However, Lofton continued to soar, while Jefferson flew much closer to the ground. JJ caught 39 passes for 632 yards and four TDs in the remaining 13 games in 1981. In the strike-shortened 1982 season, Jefferson caught 27 passes for 452 yards and no touchdowns, yet was named to the Pro Bowl along with Lofton and Coffman. That year, Jefferson was 14^th in receptions among NFC wide receivers, ninth in yards, sixth in YPC and had not scored. Wes Chandler, who replaced Jefferson for the Chargers, caught 49 balls for 1,032 yards and nine scores in that abbreviated season. JJ was a curious Pro Bowl selection, although he did catch the winning touchdown pass from Danny White with 31 seconds remaining in the game itself.

Jefferson had his best season in Green Bay in 1983 with 57 catches for 830 yards and seven scores, but dropped to just 26 catches in ’84 and was released. Signing with the Browns in 1985, he caught the last three passes of his NFL career. JJ tried out for the Oilers in 1986, but was cut.

In Jefferson’s four seasons in Green Bay, he never was among the leaders in any category. By contrast, James Lofton was in the top five in yards for each season. At the end of their careers, the contrast was pretty stark:

Jefferson 102 games       351 catches        5,714 yards         16.3 YPC               47 TDs

Lofton   233 games          764 catches        14,004 yards      18.3 YPC               75 TDs

Lofton also is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jefferson is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame only.

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